Monday 10/22 A.M. Quickie:BoSox, Byrd, Brady, Bironas, B.C., More!

ALCS Game 7: Red Sox clobber the Indians, come back from 3-1 deficit with 3-game winning streak to take AL pennant and return to the World Series for the first time since way back in 2004. (Two World Series appearances in four years? These ain't your pappy's Red Sox.)

Congratulations to the team and to Red Sox Nation: It was gutsy as hell to be down 3-1, then win three straight games. After already claiming status as the first MLB team to come back from being down 3-0 in a series, they became only the 11th team ever to come back from being down 3-1. Big performances all around (Game 7 stud: Dustin Pedroia, who had 5 RBI), and I think Boston's big bats and suddenly virile pitching should make them the favorite in the World Series.

World Series Glimpse Ahead: Sox vs. Rox, which is catchy, if nothing else. I'll do more on the series tomorrow and Wednesday, but the ultimate question, of course, is whether the Rockies can maintain their sizzling pace, particularly after an 8-day layoff.

Based on the way they've won 21 out of their last 22, including 7 in a row in the playoffs (8 in a row if you count the Game 163 play-in), I have a hard time imagining the Rockies losing 4 of 7 games at this point. Then again, the way the Red Sox have won 3 of their last, um, 3, I can't imagine them losing either.

On paper, Colorado should get crushed. But what the Rockies are doing right now defies any sort of "paper" analysis. I have spent a lot of time out in Denver this second half of the season, and what's going on there is freaky. They don't comprehend losing anymore.

Kiss-of-Death Prediction: Rockies in 6, with Boston winning both of Beckett's starts (obviously), but losing the other games.

(On a side note: Man, it must be tough to be an Indians fan. Now there's a fan base that deserves our sympathy and our support.)

MLB PED Scandal: Add Paul Byrd to the list. His masterful performance in Game 4 of the ALCS is now the SECOND-biggest thing he is famous for, after 'fessing up to ordering HGH back during the apex of the scandal, from 2002-2005 (when, seemingly, EVERYONE was doing it).

The news cast a pall over the Indians' ALCS run, but it goes to show that HGH penetrated the core of the sport, from the selfish superstar sluggers to the devoutly religious super-likeable journeymen pitchers to the blindly ambitious minor-league rehab success stories. And, I'm sure, much more.

His money quote: "I have nothing to hide," which may be true, admirable or both. But, usually, quotes like that just end up as irony. He says he used it to treat a tumor and that a doc prescribed them. But he says he was in contact with the Indians and MLB about it, but the team and league wouldn't (or couldn't) confirm that.

NFL Wrap: The Pats just keep rolling. Just when you think they can't do anything more (like, say, going on the road and crushing the NFC's top Super Bowl contender), they take on their nemesis and absolutely obliterate them. I know the Dolphins aren't the Dolphins this season, but they weren't particularly good in previous seasons when they beat the Pats, either.

Tom Brady: 6 TDs. One week after throwing a career-high 5, he goes one better, giving him 27 for the season (in only 7 games... the single-season record is 49 by Peyton Manning). The greatest season for a QB in NFL history continues, and it will be all the more spectacular when the team goes 19-0.

My favorite part of yesterday's game was the way that Belichick brought Brady back into the game, off the bench, to throw No. 6. Between that and the last-minute TD the Pats scored against the Cowboys, which was meaningless beyond rubbing in the ass-kicking, it's clear that Belichick wants to punish the rest of the league this season.

More NFL Milestones/Fantasy Player of the Week: Rob Bironas has the greatest day ever for a kicker. He hit an NFL-record 8 field goals, including the game-winner as time expired. So: Who had Bironas on their fantasy team (and if they didn't, will he be the "most added" player of the week?)

More NFL: If there was ever reason to confirm Brian Griese as the Bears' QB, his game-winning two-minute drill without a radio signal in his helmet was the one... How many more last-second wins does Jason Elam have in his foot this season?... Cowboys back on track with a home win over Minnesota, whose sensational rookie RB Adrian Peterson was held to 63 yards, 160 fewer than a week ago (I think the Vikings should give up on this season and target a top QB in the draft to complement Peterson, say Kentucky's Andre Woodson?)... Byron Leftwich looked good in his Falcons debut (that is, until he got hurt... surprise)... Are the Dolphins going to fire first-year head coach Cam Cameron after their first 0-7 start in team history? Should they?

MNF: Colts at Jags. As a Jaguars fan (nominally), last season's blowout win over the Colts represented the best moment of the season for the Jaguars (and made the end-of-season collapse that much more painful). Not sure if the teams match up the same way this year, but this is a real test if the Jags truly are a Top 5 NFL team this year. (Not that it matters, in terms of winning a Super Bowl; the Pats have that locked up.)

CFB: Ohio State, B.C. top the BCS, with LSU at No. 3. Interestingly, the BCS computers have BC and LSU at 1-2 with Ohio State on the outside looking in. Do the PCs know something the humans don't? (Yeah: You can't let the brand name "Ohio State" blind you to things like "Who have they beaten?") By the way, BC is losing at Virginia Tech on Thursday night, just as surely as you could see South Florida's loss at Rutgers last Thursday night coming, too.

ArizonaState is No. 4, and Kansas is No. 9, even though the Jayhawks have the most impressive single win of any of the five remaining unbeatens. Other details of note: Florida is the highest-ranking 2-loss team at No. 11 and Virginia has crashed the party at No. 15, on the strength of the No. 6 ranking in the computer polls.

This Week's BlogPoll Ballot (Temporary): As I mention in today's Deadspin post, putting it together was an exercise in self-loathing as I filled it out. (I'm already making changes based on reader feedback. Reader Nick questioned how I could have South Florida where I did, particularly behind USC. This is right on, especially because USF was my No. 1 team a week ago. That's a hell of a drop. I have moved them up to No. 11. That's probably still low, especially since they are a spot behind 2-loss Florida, with the Bulls beating Auburn at Auburn and the Gators losing to Auburn in Gainesville.)

NBA Scandal: Have six refs been disciplined for breaking the league's anti-gambling rules? I wouldn't doubt it, but the league and the refs' union aren't confirming anything.

Fantasy: I have a longer, stand-alone post about this for either later today or tomorrow, but I'm participating in a re-creation of the 1986 baseball season through Strat-O-Matic online, managing the Chicago Cubs. Here's a link to the league.

BTW. It may not be agaist the best competition, but everyone was all over the Giants D after the first 2 games, they are now putting up staggering numbers. 6 more sacks yesterday. Osi with a sack, a fumble, fumble recovery and a 75 yard fumble return for a TD all on one play, blew the roof off!

Dan,You have said that OSU should be on upset alert like 4 times now and they have won every time. Could you give them a little praise? I'm not saying that they will go undefeated, but they have a great defense and it would be nice to hear someone say it.

That game ended as soon as the 3rd base coach held Lofton up on Gutierrez' single.

Cleveland played scared throughout the series, even in the games they won. Did CC and Fausto hit a wall? No clue. But Carmona definitely pitched scared both games. The way he missed the strike zone was if he really didn't want to get hit hard.

Such a marked difference than when they went against the Yankees. It's almost odd.

I think if Lofton scores to make it 3-3, Boston would have started shaking. As it was, that double play ended the game, imo. When the coaches don't have balls, the players aren't going to hold up either.

This would be a bad day to live in Boston and not be a Pats or Sox fan... congrats to you guys. Tom Brady needs to be tested for PEDs, bionic parts, or alien DNA.

Anybody see Peyton's quote about Brady? He said that Tom was having a tremendous year, and that if he breaks Peyton's TD record, he hopes that he will be as gracious as Dan Marino was when his TEAM approached that mark. Kudos to Peyton for crediting the team; razzies to Peyton for not realizing that Dan wasn't all that gracious (as I recall). If the Peyton Manning face says, "You guys are making me look bad", the Dan Marino face says, "I'm getting ready to heave Phil Simms through the TV set - move the coffee table."

I will say it Jimmy. They have an fantastic defense. We were the best rushing team in the conference going in, and we were shut the hell down. But I gotta ask OSU fans, when the two quick turnovers for TDs and almost a 3rd in row, did anyone else start thinking shades of 98. Oh well, I still think Dantonio has MSU on the right path, playing the right kind of game in the Big Ten.

Big D the Bruins(5-2-0) are off to a good start and had really good crowds at there first 2 home games which is surprising considering the home opener went against Red Sox game #5.

The Patriots were not running up the score yesterday. If they ran up the score they would of scored in the 60's. The only reason Brady came back in after Cassell screwed up is as Belichick said another turnover and it is a 2 score game. It was basically bring Brady in, score another TD and tell Miami you may think your starting a comeback but you are not.

Sparty, I Am not nor will I ever be a pink hat. The pink at are not sitting at work trying to do there jobs, a pink hat it out at modell's or the Red Sox Pro shop getting their AL Championship Gear. Non-Pink Hat real fans know that you don't buy anything unless they win the World Series. Pink hats are the ones saying today that they knew the Red Sox could comeback all along, real fans are happy and shocked they actually did it again.

2. Wouldn't you think that anyone who has used a prescription based HGH or any 'shadow' PED would annonuce it to the world prior to their name coming out in a press release?

3. I would find it very ironic that in the year that the '72 Dolphins record is finally matched, that the current year Dolphins set the record for futility at 0-16. Reality is so much better than Fiction.

cmfost shouldn't even get to watch the World Series after giving up on his team so completely. Worst fan ever.

I am really starting to think the SEC is vastly overrated. They are just like every other conference this year, any team can beat anyone else on any weekend. Except when it happens there people say it is cause the conference is "SO TOUGH" . When it happens elsewhere it is because the conference is "SO MEDIOCRE".

It is a shame I have to deal with SEC fans, because I enjoy watching the games. But I just can't stand the ridiculous amounts of idiocy from many of their fans. SEC homers are the worst kind of homer.

tOSU, was supposed to be rebuilding this year. I expected them to have two losses this year as I expect most true fans thought. The thing is they have done what no team from the SEC has done and that is win every game they have played.

Is tOSU the best team in the country? Probably not, but the defense is the best in the country. They have also done what the 11 teams ahead of them, at the start of the season, haven't. They have beat everybody they have played.

BTW, I'm supposed to go to a wedding on the day of the tOSU and Michigan game. Who schedules a wedding on this day? Seriously, who does that?

That, more than anything, shows how ramped up the expectations are on Peterson. For almost any other running back, facing a rushing defense that came into the game No. 6 in the NFL (and has yet to give up a 100-yard performance), that's a good day.

cmfost shouldn't even get to watch the World Series after giving up on his team so completely. Worst fan ever.

I did not completely give up I just looked at the reality of the situation. For the first 4 games all the bounces, key hits and break where going Cleveland way and it looked like Boston was done. The 2,3 & 4 pitchers stunk up the joint and you just can not win with only 3 or 4 guys hitting in your lineup. And then for games 5-7 it all turned around and the bounces, the key hits, hitting up and down the lineup, better pitching went Boston way.

I never gave up on the team, I just looked at the situation at the time and it seemed like a lost cause.

Ohio State toughest game of the season is probably going to be this Saturday night at Penn State.

-----------------------------------

Hmmm....Well, Michigan may have lost their first 2 games this year, but we have been steadily climbing with solid wins over Penn St. and Illinois...and also CM, don't forget that this is THE biggest rivalry in college football and Ohio State's toughest game will ALWAYS be Michigan and Michigan's toughest game will ALWAYS be Ohio State...and yes they are #1 and deservedly so...that being said, GO BLUE!

Does no one remember Ohio State going undefeated last year and playing the de facto national championship against Michigan and those teams were both so much better than anyone else in the country? I can't remember how their bowl games turned out? Was OSU's tough schedule last year what proved how great they were? Is that why they beat the Gators?

OSU has not played anyone and when they finally do play someone it will be a team that lost at home to a 1-AA team that may be third in their conference. It is real easy to hate the SEC but let's not forget what an undefeated OSU and a 1 loss Michigan did last year when they met with the best teams out of their conference in the Natnl Championship and the Rose Bowl.

Any true fan will tell you that Jim Tressel was outcoached for the first time in his career that game vs. Florida. If they play 10 times, Ohio state wins 6 out of 10. I have been an Ohio State fan my entire life (25 years) and that was the worst I have EVER seen them play.

That being said, this defense is a lot better than last year's defense. And defense wins championships. Say what you want about the Big 10. It doesn't suck. Just like in basketball, they beat up on each other all year. No team is shitty (well, except for Minnesota). Year in and year out, they have 1 great team, 2 really good teams, 1 team on the verge, 5 bowl worthy teams, and 2 shitty ass teams. That sounds like a good league to me.

I hate Boston fans as much as the next guy and defending CMFost makes me wanna throw up a little, but no way is he the worst fan ever. No one holds a candle to Shanoff in that department who abandoned Northwestern for his wife's team where SHE DIDN'T EVEN GO TO SCHOOL AT.

You're a fraud. Don't play the 'realistic' card, because you're full of it. You gave up.

It sickens me that you were celebrating last night, and you shouldn't be able to watch the Series.

I never gave up on the team, I just looked at the situation at the time and it seemed like a lost cause.

Translation: "I gave up".

I second geoff's suggestion. You should be banned from watching the '07 WS.

Worst.Fan.Ever.

----------------@ eileenI'll defend cmfrost in that the longtime Red Sox fans have learned to always expect the worst. It's the young ones who remain cheerily optimistic.Wrong. There's a difference between 'blind optimism' and 'eternal pessimism'. One jumps on the bandwagon, the other jumps off.

Both kinds of fans suck, IMO.----------------CM does bring up a good point about LDS, LCS gear. It's only good for 1 week with a championship win, and it's a crappy consolation prize with a loss. I don't see why anyone would buy that stuff.

Anyone wearing Chicago Bears NFC championship stuff?

-------------------Condolances to the true Cleveland fans. As happy as I was to see my team move on, I know the ache of following a team coming 'this close'. They sure did put up one hell of a fight.

I didn't like the fenway faithful chanting 'na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye'. Yankees deserve that, but not the Indians. That was completely unnecessary.

as a Tennessee fan living in Columbia, SC - it was a rough weekend. as much as I root for the SEC, I can no longer rationalize its dominance anymore. The only thing tOSU needs to worry about is if they get behind by say 2 scores do they have the offensive weapons to get back in a game

btw, did anyone see what CBS did with the end of the Titans-Texans game? seriously watching people watch a football game isn't exciting television

you guys gotta lay off the PATS...if the other team has 28 you have to keep the pressure on...its like stealing a base in the 9th inning when you team is up by 7...yeah, you're probably gonna win, but bigger comebacks have happened...you score as much as you can...and you play to win the game...it wasn't running up the score so much as it was just dominating until the game was surely in hand...Pats will only lose this year once they have wrapped up the AFC East...so probably early November...

Please, everyone slow down on how dominant the SEC is AGAIN this year. It is always brought up how OSU got killed by UF last year and how UM was destroyed by USC. Well, all that is true. However, in the other 2 SEC/Big 10 games on Jan. 1st last year, Wisconsin beat Arkansas and Penn State beat Tennessee. The SEC is really a very good and deep conference, but I don't think you should sau other confereces (such as the Big 10 and Pac 10) are terrible when we probably won't know for sure until the bowl season plays out.

I don't know how good OSU is because as Herbie has said, they should be 8-0 right now. As a person who goes to the game and a PSU alum (wow, a novel concept, root for the team where you are an alum, talking to you Shanoff) I can tell you that the atmosphere at the Beav on Saturday night will be unreal. 110,000 fans, a student white out, and 12 hours to tailgate all point to the Buckeyes having to prove themselves on Saturday. We'll know more about them then.

Getting their tapes confiscated was the best thing that ever happened to the Pats. Now they can exact revenge on the rest of the league while simultaneously showing how little impact the tapes probably had and remove some of the stigma in the process.

I agree that they are an injury away from mediocrity, but don't hate on Brady too much - it wasn't his idea to go back into the game. And it's the NFL, if you want to cry about getting blown out, maybe look in the mirror and ask yourself why you and your team are getting paid millions to suck so bad. Plus, there is no such thing as a big enough lead, look at the Lions putting up 34 on the Bears in the 4th quarter earlier in the year.

And yes, how bout them Wolverines? Beating up on Zookie with Hart on the sidelines and without Henne for half the game? And regardless of what Dan may say, Mallet is not on Henne's level right now. Not that Henne is great, but Mallet is even farther away from great.

I will admit that I am still terribly bitter about Herbstreit's homerism last year even when the gators won. Then this week he ranks his top 5 and puts BC at 5 b/c he still needs to see them beat someone but has OSU at number 1. There should be no room that kind of ridiculous logic when you are paid t.o be objective and so the bitter feelings against the conference are coming out full steam again.on the plus side isn't that one of the reasons we love college football. If you show me someone who doesn't think their conference is the best then I will show you someone who isn't a real fan. The best and worst part about the sport is its flawed system of picking champions. I like to embrace the rivalry and talk as much trash as possible

As a Michigan fan, Mallett makes me SICK. he is 6'7" and gets half of his passes blocked at the line and when he does get one through theres about a 50% chance of an INT, I know he's a freshman and he did lead us to wins over ND (haha, ok I could have led us to that victory) and Penn State. Hopefully he will grow and mature next year, but Henne is the man right now...not too flashy, and I think he's definitely underachieving, but he's still a good leader for this team...and he is playing with a chip on his shoulder, since he is 0-3 against the fighting tressels...UM OSU will be a great game...GO BLUE!

hey sparty, thats original, haven't heard that one before...yeah it sucks that we lost to APPYST. but what are you gonna do? Move on I guess...Shanny's Wildcats beat up on you guys at East Lansing after losing to DUKE who had lost 22 games in a row...an equally terrible loss in my book...D-II or not...GO BLUE.

Well this is the last update. South Africa beat defending champion England 15-6 and interestingly, the bookies had South Africa by exactly 9 points.

What was probably more interesting is that Argentina beat host country France in the consolation game. You can say that France had no motivation to play in the consolation game (the reason why the NCAA got rid of the 3rd place game in the basketball tournament). However Argentina just established itself as a world power in the sport so this game had quite a bit of meaning for them.

As for the English/South Africa game, there was only one try (touchdown) scored that was called back after video replay. An incorrect reversal in my opinion. It wasn't the greatest game decided by 5 field goals to 2. The English showed some pride though in making it close after getting blown out by South Africa in pool play 36-0.

Lost in the Elam game-winners is that, in every one of these games, it was Cutler who led the drive to put the Broncos in position to win the game. If there was a question about his ability and his drive, they should have been answered by now.

As a NY sports fan, these are the pretty awful days. Giants at least are the one team not only showing life but looking good. However the disappointing loss by the Yankees, the Mets' collapse, Nets going nowhere and Knicks in total anarchy. Mangini is not looking good. Can't expect much from the Islanders and Rangers either. Couple that with the Pats, and Red Sox success and at least the glimmer of preseason hope for the Celtics and it is really not fun right now.

Anyone who thinks Herbstreit is biased towards Ohio State doesn't watch him very much. He's one the best analysts in CFB and is always very objective. He was raising warning flags last year before the game versus Florida and OSU fans in Cbus toasted him a bit for it.

Pats fans...it is running it up when you're still throwing the ball with a big lead.

Alright, I have a few thoughts, so bear with me, as I'll try and say them in one post:

1) First and foremost, sorry tribe fans. I know I'd avoid this blog today if I were a tribe fan, but you guys really did have a hell of a year. No disrespect to the Rockies, but that should've been the World Series as that was a phenomenal series and it featured the best two teams from the regular season. I know how much it sucks being on the losing end, but you guys have a great core group there that should be very good for a number of years, not that that makes you feel any better today I'm sure.

2) In defense of CM, I thought it was lost as well after game four. Just seemed like every bounce was going the way of the Indians, and I really didn't think the Red Sox would be able to beat CC again and then Carmona. Before game five, I couldn't fathom a comeback, only that we needed to win game five and then come back to Boston. I was wrong, CM was wrong, etc. We're all happy now, but trust me, people who have rooted for the Red Sox a long time aren't the ones who are eternal optomists. Are both the extreme optomists and the world is falling, woe is me fans shitty? Yeah, probably. Sorry about that.

3) I hate the concept of 'pink hats', but I don't like it being used to describe bandwagon Red Sox fans, as it definitely implies a gender bandwagoning, when I know a lot of guys who have hopped on the bandwagon as well. It's not as obvious as when someone wears a pink hat, but implying that male fans aren't part of the annoying Red Sox bandwagon just isn't telling the entire story.

4) Dustin Pedroia is a cocky little bastard, and I love him so much for it. Coming from someone who was taller than 5'7, and weighs more than 165, that would've been somewhat uncalled for. But for a cocky, short rookie, it was probably my favorite moment of the entire season. He gives short dudes like me hope.

5) The Rockies are a great team, and even though the AL is superior to the NL, they are built more like an AL team, so they could be a huge challenge to the Red Sox. I really hope it doesn't snow any more in Denver though, as November baseball just doesn't feel right.

6) The Red Sox haven't won the big one yet. And if we do, (I've got the Red Sox in 6), I promise I'll try not to go overboard with it again, like we did in '04. Can't make the promise for others, but I'll do my best, since I know how much most people despise Red Sox fans right now anyway.

* How can West Virginia be 6th and S. Florida 11th when they each have one loss and the latter beat the former* Navy, who has lost to Notre Dame 43 straight times, plays the Irish in two weeks* According to teamrankings.com - Boston College has played the 115th toughest schedule / Ohio State 117th* Teamrankings.com’s computer gives BC a 53.0% chance of beating Virginia Tech* LSU football has won 24 straight on Saturday night in Baton Rouge

"Does no one remember Ohio State going undefeated last year and playing the de facto national championship against Michigan and those teams were both so much better than anyone else in the country? I can't remember how their bowl games turned out? Was OSU's tough schedule last year what proved how great they were? Is that why they beat the Gators?"

Simple question to you. Do you remember in 2002 when no one gave OSU a chance to even compete with Miami. All we heard was Miami is too fast, They are too strong, etc.. The same thing Florida hear last year and Texas the year before.

Don't bast last seasons result on this team. Different season, different team. I am sure they all learned something.

IF OSU does go undefeated, all we are going to here is how they have not played anyone, they are two slow, remember what happened last year, etc... Just to pump them up and it would not surprise me if they did win it this year.

CMFost, you can't do rankings by the fact that team A beat team B and therefore should be ranked higher. There are upsets when the better team loses to a supposedly worse team. If A beats B who beats C who beats A, then what do you do?

You have to look at the whole picture.

This message board is the only place where I hear the term "pink hat fans" used so much. My wife bought her little niece a cute pink Yankee hat that she loves. And she is no bandwagoneer either. She was born into a Yankee family.

It is the cocktail party Saturday. Dan have you started drinking yet. This is always the best week of the year as it is the one time I can talk trash to my mom (UGA alum). It is weird having half my family be UGA fans and half being Gators. Makes for interesting holidays.

There is one reason for running up the score if you are the Pats. I am pretty sure but isn't one of the tiebreakers(4th I think) points against common opponents. Since I dont expect them to run the table, I figure it is entirely possible that they will end the season with the same record as the colts. Of course by playing the colts I think the head to head game will determine the AFC's best record.

As much as I hate pink clothing with a teams logo on it I can understand why women like it. I know my lady has a pink cubs shirt and she grew up a cubs fan. She says the cub looks cute. I think the funniest though is that they sell pink Devil Rays gear and we suck. I don't think I have ever seen anyone wear anything that was pink and had a Rays logo on it.

Well, here I am. A Tribe fan, tired and still sick from last night's game. There are so many things that pissed me off in that game, but the Red Sox had a great comeback. Nothing went the Indians' way from Game 5 on, and that's what happens sometimes.

I hope Travis Hafner spends the entire off-season being awakened by his miserable statistics running through his head. He's lucky he signed his contract mid-season.

Kudos to Jake Westbrook...he was shaky through three and then really turned it on.

As for the Buckeyes: Weren't people saying the Spartans were going to be their first test???!!! They shut down their outstanding offense...they had three measly points! If it weren't for the fumble and interception returns, the game wouldn't have been close, but people are STILL saying Ohio State hasn't played anyone yet. Hmmm, so on Friday an opponent is tough and is going to be the one to beat Ohio State; Buckeyes beat said team on Saturday, and then Sunday the Buckeyes still haven't "played anyone". Yes, I think the remainder of the schedule is definitely better than the games played, but they are still undefeated and that's what makes them #1 for now.

Herbstreit is far from a homer...I have turned him off at times because he has pissed me off when he hasn't argued FOR Ohio State.

To PV and Cycle, the term "pink hats" has been primarily used in association with bandwagon fans in Boston in reference to the actual pink hats with the Red Sox logo on them that boomed in popularity after the Red Sox won the World Series in 2004. It's been a term generally used on forums, message boards, and talk radio to describe the bandwagon fans that have emerged since 2004, thereby distancing most people who use the term from such people. In my experiences though, most Red Sox fans who use the term "pink hats" to describe bandwagon fans aren't the smartest or most knowledgeable Red Sox fans to begin with.

All I was saying is I have a problem with that being the term for the bandwagon fans, since I personally know a few bandwagon fans that are guys. I also hate the "pink hats" themselves, as I just hate seeing pink at the ballpark, but that's a different story altogether. I'm also not a huge fan of the green jerseys that guys wear, but I can see that being slightly justified in that the Red Sox will actually wear those in Spring Training, etc.

Kudos for Jen for showing up to the comments section today. I know I wouldn't have if the Red Sox lost in all likelihood.

I use "pink hats" to refer to any fan (male or female) who supports a team simply because it is fashionable to do so. This works with Red Sox "fans" post 2004, but it also describes a rather large chunk of Cubs fans. You don't have to win a title to still be a pink hat fan.

All this talk brings in the age old questions, How old it to old to still wear the game jersey of your favorite team to a game? And is it appropriate to wear a team jersey in none game related social situations?

Sparty said... RSN blew up at 2004. everyone agree? Or is it that after every postseason that RSN put their hats away for the winter pior to 04 so it was not as noticeable as it is now?

I blame Johnny Damon, Jimmy Fallon, ESPN (yes, Simmons too), and Fox/HBO/Shaugnessy for the relentless 'curse' references. The Yanks bandwagon was overflowing after 1996-1999. In '04, RSN included everyone rooting for 'anyone but the yanks'. Some of em stuck.

Irony isn't without a sense of humor, because now it seems that with RSN's overflowing bandwagon, everyone seems to be rooting for 'anyone but the sox' (and anyone but the Pats). Can't really say I blame em. It'll be interesting to see what percentage of Coors field are sox fans (hopefully not alot). You certainly didn't see/hear many at the Jake.

Seriously Shanoff, did you not watch games 5-7? Did you not see Schilling pitch well? Sometimes you're spot on but other times you make a total ass of yourself with certain statements. If I worried about anything, it would be how well Jeff Francis and Jiminez pitch in Fenway.

This Buckeye team is a lot like the 2002 team -- win with defense, special teams, and just enough offense to be dangerous. That 2002 team started the season #12 (just like this one), and climbed steadily as a young running back emerged (Clarett/ Wells).

A few weeks ago, when Corso said the Ohio State team (then #8) was the best team in the country, I thought he was crazy. The Buckeyes are not the most dominant and probably not the best. But unlike their peers, they have held serve. And, they haven't needed scoring drives in the final posession to do it (ahem, LSU).

At least in the Big 10, teams go out of their way to put tough non-conference games on their schedule. 3 B-10 teams played Notre Dame this year, which after 2 consecutive BCS games should have been a challenge. Ohio State played at Washington -- which should be a tough place to win. Michigan played Oregon.... the only way to truly guage the level of a conference is to have them play hard non-conference games.

The SEC has 1 good non-conference win so far, with LSU beating Virginia Tech. Alabama lost to Florida State on a neutral field. Tennessee lost to Cal. Auburn lost to South Florida. Kentucky beat Louisville -- but that win was unexpected then, and rings hollow now -- through no fault of Kentucky.

But the SEC is drinking their own bathwater now, and ESPN is piling on. It isn't a sign of a great conference when everyone can beat everyone inside the conference. It's a sign of a great conference when teams look outside their own conference and take on challenges and win.

In the next 2 years, Ohio State has a 2-year series with USC. Maybe they go 0-2, maybe 2-0, but either way there's no question they try to challenge themselves every year (vs. Texas last two years, Washington this year, USC for 2, Washington for 1, then Virginia Tech for 2, Miami for 2.....). The PAC 10 has the same mentality -- any team, anywhere.... see USC vs. Notre Dame and Nebraska, Oregon at Michigan, Cal vs. Tennessee.

The SEC needs to step up all season long, not just for conference play, to show they belong. Otherwise, I'm crowning USF the SEC champion!

@ap boynton. Those 3 teams always have ND on their schedule, they are old rivalry games. Actually MSU is probably ND biggest Rival after USC. People usually consider Michigan to be a big one, but that is false. They have not really played the Wolverines that often, and its only a big deal because they are the winniest programs in the college football history.

Is it the gators fault that FSU sucks ass right now. We play them every year and we play miami the next two years. We also get Hawaii next year which should be interesting. I think that there are teams in every conference who play strong out of conference schedules but not all the time and some that do all the time. I think it balances out having crap teams in your conference.

as a sox fan, i wear only one of two hats, my traditional dark blue one, and the 70's red one...both are beat up and sweat stained. I only switch hats to switch momentum in a series. That is a real sox hat.

however...i have twin girls, and we have to colorize their clothes so we and others can tell them apart...one wears pink, the other purple. On a trip to fenway last year, i saw a pink and purple hat, and got one for each, as those were their colors (before i became aware of the sterotype.)

I was born in 68, lived through the 75 series, the 78 fbd game, the humiliations of the 90's sweeps, the nut kick of boone, and shared the joy of a red sox world series on my 37th birthday. (the sox finised off the yanks on my dad's that same year...weird)

so...though im not a bandwagoneer pink hat supporting accessory to the fan base, did i cross the pink hat line with my daughters?

No, they don't. Manny wasn't doing it to shove it in the Indians face. Everyone who knows Manny knows that. As for Pedrioa, he was just surprised as hell he hit that bomb. If you watch again you will see him sprint around the baes after 1st because he didn't want to show off.

I think "pink hats" or "green jerseys" refers to people who become fans of a team when it's trendy because the team is doing well. Those items went on sale after 2004, so they were popular among the bandwagon set. I think the majority of Sox bandwagon fans aren't actually females in pink hats, but rather male corporate types who go to games just so they can tell people that they went to a game at Fenway. Plus, they're the only ones who can afford to buy tickets for the good games.

as for the wearing of fan gear in public:

watching a game, baseball and football jerseys OK on adults of all ages. Basketball jerseys probably shouldn't be worn by anyone over age 15 (unless you are either watching a game in an arena or playing in said game).

Baseball pants and football pants?Never appropritate for fans. Although it would be hilarious for a Bengals fan to show up to a party in tight, shiny, white pants with tiger stripes.

@Nooch, I don't think the rule about pink hats applies to children or adults that buy them for their kids. Totally understandable for kids. It's the same way that no one over the age of 12 should ever buy or wear a Jeter shirt, but it's okay to wear one if you're a kid or have a kid who likes Jeter.

@Tbender, I think most Red Sox fans know that. I still hold on to the shred of hope that we're bad, but not as bad as the Yankees, but I realize that line has likely faded to being completely invisible to other people at this point.

@Boomhauer, yeah, I fully expect Manny to get one high and tight at some point against the Indians next year. And if Kenny Lofton were still on Cleveland, he'd get something at him too I bet, and we'd have more benches clearing nonsense. I actually think that Pedroia's won't be as remembered spitefully since that was a one time thing, he was a rookie, and it was in Fenway in a big spot. At least I think anyone might throw at Manny, but really only Betancourt could have a right to throw at Pedroia.

Anyway, as per the pink hat debate, I say we make a conscious effort to refer to the bandwagon fans as either just annoying bandwagon fans (easy enough right?), or call them the pink hats/green jerseys.

It is hilarious reading Red Sox fans saying SEC fans are obnoxious. I mean, I get the whole SEC fans being obnoxious thing, but Boston sports fans are the absolute worse. And to take it back to the first comment, Sparty, as an Oriole fan I've always been uncomfortbale with Millar to begin with, can't stand Schilling (ex-O), and wish every team in New England, from the Patriots down to UConn football, would just go away. I honestly expect the Rockies to beat the Boston Yankees Sox in the Series. Looking forward to the Hokies and the Hurricanes each beating B.C. But the Tome Brady knee injury is going to be sweet. Too bad Trent Green's already on the IR. I wish the Dolphins would have him dive for Brady's knee.

i think that was just an oversight on Natsfan74. which would make ND playing half a BigTen schedule anyway. In fact they play a tougher Big Ten schedule than Wisconsin does.

I know it has 11 teams already, but lets say the Big Ten gets that 12th team?(Cincy would be the best choice, ND isn't happening.) Come on, they couldn't still be the Big Ten. You cannot design a long to show 12 in the graphic.

Sparty, the Big 10 won't just take any school, they have a rule where the institution in question has to have post graduate research programs as well, which of course includes Notre Dame but excludes schools like Cincinnati or any MAC school. That's why the Big 10 wants Notre Dame so badly, they're a perfect fit both geographically and academically. With Notre Dame being so bad they might want to reconsider being an independent. I actually think being in a conference might help them at this point.

Sorry, I knew ND played 4, not 3. But either way, in a typical ND year, that's 4 strong out of conference match-ups for the Big 10.

I would rather my team play a good non-conference opponent and lose early than not play anyone good at all. OSU rebounded from their loss to Texas a few years ago and still got the BCS bid. Virginia Tech is back in the top 10 following their loss at LSU. I would rather see a very close loss to a top 5 opponent than 4 blowout wins against cream puffs.

I understand teams need creampuffs too. It helps to foster depth (get other guys in games), and it's great for the pocketbook to have extra home games. But teams need a challenge. And, conferences need a challenge.

Sheik -- I still give UF credit for the FSU game. It's a rivalry, so anything can happen. And, FSU has a ton of talent, and could right the ship and be a powerhouse again soon (and beat Alabama some more). But, I will be surprised if Florida plays Hawaii. That's the kind of game a bunch of teams have bought off lately. When I had UH season tickets, it was sad to see so many good teams get out of contracts once they realized UH was actually good.....

cmfost, they haven't won a bowl game in years, and wasn't just a year or two ago that NBC extended them. they will not lose it. this is the worst year for them in decades, they will not stay down for long.

Now THAT is hilarious. If only I had Reilly's bank account. Speaking of which, I don't write many stand-alone posts anymore beyond the morning post, but tomorrow, I will have a big post about the Reilly story. -- D.S.

(1) Last week I thought there were only 2 teams you could make a defensible case should be #1: USF and LSU. LSU has 4 great wins now to go with a pretty excusable loss. OSU, BC, Kansas, Arizona St: had any of those teams lost to the best team they've played, it would be a much much worse loss than LSU's against Kentucky. I know: they didn't lose. But my point is that LSU has played 4 or 5 teams better than any of the undefeateds' BEST opponent.

(2) Can everyone stop pretending that where a team is ranked now plays into their chances to make the title game. If every undefeated team wins out, and LSU and Oklahoma win out, you know who controls their own destiny? Arizona St. Look at the schedule. They won't win them all, but if they do they're the runaway #1.

(3) Hawaii: no. Just no. According to Sagarin and to the Massey Ratings, undefeated I-AA teams Northern Iowa and North Dakota State have both played tougher schedules than Hawai'i. Since we can rank I-AA teams now, if you're hurting for a team, any team, to fill out the bottom of your poll, and you're thinking of going with some small-time undefeated, might I suggest you run screaming from Hawai'i in favor of one of these I-AA schools?

Connect With Me

Quickish

About This Blog

DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.